Game of Thrones - The Maiden's Side
by Slocknar
Summary: Introduction: This is a fan fiction of the TV-series "Game of Thrones", based on George R.R. Martin's novel series "A song of Ice and Fire". I do not own any right to the characters mentioned or the base of the story. With that said I can tell you that this story is from my own character's point of view. This is her story about what happened in the time of "Game of Thrones".
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I:

I have never known from where I came, who my parents were, or why I came to lose these memories. All that I know is that I came here for a reason, and that Winterfell is where I belong.

I have been told that it was a cold and early winter morning when I was first seen from the walls. The snow was lying white and shimmering on the ground, and more was slowly falling from the dark grey sky. I was dressed in a simple, blue dress and I only had a thin coat on. My dark hair was braided and messy and my skin was white and blue because of the cold. Just as I came in their sight the pony that I was riding stopped, and I sat there still as a sleeping little bird before I fell to the ground.

They have told me that Robb was up that morning, standing on the walls. He was the first one who saw me and he was the first one who came to my side. He put his big, warm fur coat around me and he might just have saved my life by doing that and taking my frozen hand. How a young boy, like he was back then, would know how to save a frozen girl from a certain death like that is hard for me to understand but he always said that it just came to him.

I don't remember anything of this, I did not then and I do not now, and I do not think that I will; I can just take their words for it, and why would I not?

The first thing that I do remember is waking up in a warm bed with layers of fur coats over me. I did not feel cold and I was not hungry, but I was thirsty, so very thirsty. I cannot remember being so thirsty ever again after that. I looked to my side, and there he was. Robb was just sitting there, watching me with those blue eyes of his. He did not move, he did not speak, and he did not do anything. I remember wondering who he was, and what he was doing there, and what I was doing there, and then it all became black again.

When I was able to stay awake long enough they told me all that they knew, and then they asked me what I knew. My answer was:

"Nothing, I do not know anything but how to speak, and walk, and breathe. I do not remember anything about myself or my past." It sounds very wise for an 8 years old girl to say it like that, and I suppose it was.

After that they took me into their home, not only as a guest but as a family member. Of course I did work in the kitchen and I never called myself a Stark, but they gave me my name and a home. They gave me memories, even thou they could never replace the once that I must have lost.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

To see them happy, and to make them all happy, was all I ever wanted. To hear them laugh and see them smile was all that I desired. To tell Rickon stories before bedtime, to listen to Sansa singing, and to watch Arya and Bran grow into two individuals that reminded so very much of each other, more than they will ever know. I had always loved them like they were my own siblings and I could not have wished for a better brother, or friend, than Jon. They were my world, and Lord and Lady Stark were my earth and sky. But there was something more than that with Robb, it had been like that ever since I woke up that first time and saw his eyes. A love so deep had been growing inside of me all of these years and he had showed me more than once that my feelings were indeed answered.

Still, here I was standing, alone in the dark of the night, knowing that he was leaving. He was leaving Winterfell, and me, to go to war. The knowledge cut me from the inside and there was little that I could do to hold the tears back when I heard his footsteps coming towards me. I saw him in the corner of my eye and quickly looked out over the courtyard. There were no clouds hiding the bright shining moon and stars and everything was bathing in a grey and blue light. He didn't say anything as he stopped right beside me, leaning against the stone wall. We stood there in silence, feeling the cold of the coming goodbye.

"We will leave at sunrise." He said, as if I didn't already know about it.

I had been trying to push up the goodbye for a long time and even thou I had imagined how it would be I did not know what to say to him. So I didn't say anything, I just kept on looking off into the night.

"We will release my father, get the revenge and then we will return."

Yes, that was the reason that he was leaving. A few months ago Lord Eddard Stark, Robb's father, Lord of Winterfell, had left for King's Landing with Sansa and Arya to be the Hand of King Robert Baratheon. Just a short time ago the late king passed away after a terrible hunting accident and soon after that Lord Stark was put in the dungeon. They, the Queen and King Joffrey, charged him with treason, and he was still there. And Robb had summoned the army of the North to get him, and his sisters, back. I had a bad feeling about already when we were standing there so I took a deep breath before speaking.

"Will you return before Winter?" I said, still not looking at him and with feelings bubbling inside my chest like boiling water over the burning fire.

Robb did not speak at once and even thou we were standing so close to each other it felt like The Wall itself was separating us.

"I do not know, and I cannot promise that I will. Winter is coming, and I cannot say that I will be here before it reached Winterfell, I can only hope."

He made a slight pause, then turned to me and took my hand. I could not do anything but to turn towards him.

"I do not know when I will come back, but I need you to stay here and wait for me. I need you to take care of my brothers; keep them safe and keep their spirits high. You will give everyone that stays behind hope; and you will give me hope." He looked right at me, I could feel it even thou I was not returning his gaze.

So he let go of my hand and used his to turn up my face towards his.

"You will be the light that brings me home; you will be the one to keep me going when I'm tired; the thought of holding you again will be the shining sun in the dark night of war. I have to do this, and it will mean that I will be away from you, but when I return I will marry you and you will be the next Lady of Winterfell. I have always loved you, Mibel, and that is never going to change. I have loved you from the first time I saw you and I will love you to my last day."

I could not speak, and I felt the hot tears in my eyes even clearer than before.

"I will return to you." He said it with a fears voice, as if he knew it to be the truth.

"You will return Robb, one way or another you will come back to me; and I will be waiting here for you, no matter how long it might take." My words got stuck for a moment before I could continue. "You will bring you father and sisters home safely, and I will pray for that, to the Old once and the New."

We looked at each other, my blue eyes meeting his, and he kissed me. It was enough to make my tears break loose and roll down my cheeks. I never wanted to let him go, I wanted him so badly to stay, but I did not have the right to keep him here. It was not my decision to make and I knew, in my heart, that it was the right one for him.

Even thou I did not want to I was the one to break the kiss. I caressed his cheek and looked right into those eyes of his.

"Come home soon; come home soon and come home safe."

After that I could not take it anymore. Another tear rolled down my cheek and I gave him one last look, then I left. I took the stairs down to the kitchen and left him standing there, on the balcony.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

As he had told me Robb left Winterfell that morning with the big army of the North. Theon was riding right behind him, and after him came the all Lords of the North that had sworn an oath to the Starks. They all followed Robb, riding towards King's Landing and to war. I would be a long journey with a lot of obstacles, I knew it as well as the men riding off did. Most of them would probably never return to their homes; they would never hold their wives again or hear their children's laughers.

I stood on the wall with Rickon by my side, holding his little hand in mine, and watching them riding off. It made my ache to think of what might happen to them all. I did not know all of them, that is not what I am saying, and I cannot say that I was most worried about the men that I did not know. Robb was the one man on my mind at the moment and it felt like my heart was breaking.

"He will not return, will he?" Rickon sounded accusing and I knew that he felt hurt and alone.

And of course he did; his father, mother, Jon and his sisters had already left him, and now Robb was leaving too. The only family member that he now had left in Winterfell was Bran. He was used to have his big family here, with his parents watching over them, and now he was left with me. Do not get me wrong, he was like a brother to me and he felt the same way, but imagine losing almost all of your family that fast. No one was permanently gone yet, no one had died yet, but they were not there with him.

I did not know what to answer him, because I did not know what would happen any more than he did. I had promised to keep Rickon as happy as I possibly could so this is what I said:

"He will do whatever it takes to get back to us. He will fight Jamie Lannister himself if he has to, and he will win." I sat down squatting and looked at him, face to face. "Have hope, Rickon. Be brave and do not ever doubt that he will do his very best to bring your father and sisters home. And your mother will do the same, trying to get home."

He was just a small boy, scared and bitter, and his only answer was a little nod.

We were living in such an unfair world, where even mothers had to leave their children's sides. Winter was coming, sure as it was going to be a long and hard one; because a long Summer was always followed by a long Winter, and a long Winter could not be anything but hard. Rickon was born during this long Summer and had never had to deal with the big problems of a Winter. Now the Summer was coming to its end, as all things comes to an end.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Days came and went as they pleased, and Bran took on his role as Lord of Winterfell; he did a great job. He took the farmers in when they had matters for him and solved them in the best ways that a kind and generous Lord could. He was, like all his brothers, so much like his father, Lord Eddard, kindhearted and just. They were all going to be great men one day.

Ravens came from Lady Stark that the dwarf had slipped away, probably heading for his father's, Lord Tywin Lannister, armies. Soon after that we got a raven that she had joined Robb in the camp. This made me very happy, because even a man could always use his mother's company. We did not hear much from King's Landing, and I was still worried about Arya since she had not been mentioned in the any of the once that had arrived after Lord Stark's capture.

I prayed for all of them, and Jon too. Thinking of him being on The Wall made my heart ache for him. I knew that it was he had always wanted, to go and live on The Wall with the Nightwatch, and that he saw it as an honor, but some of the things that I had heard about the brotherhood was not very pleasant; and to think about him being on the other side of The Wall, it still gives me chills.

All of these thoughts were starting to make me sick. I was worrying too much and it was starting to show on my physical health. My stomach was hurting and I could not eat properly; I was not sleeping and I could never rest. And then a raven came to Winterfell, from Lady Stark to me, and her news about Robb did not make me feel any better, in fact it was the thing that pushed me over the edge.

"Bran?"

He was just coming home from a ride in the woods and his face showed how much better he felt. I was standing in the courtyard waiting for him to return, with the little letter from Lady Stark still in my hand.

"Mibel" He answered with a smile as I came towards him.

"There was a raven…"

I tried to smile and to make myself seem fine and I took a deep breath before continuing talking. His face was already changing, like if he thought that it would be bad news, which it was to me.

"There was a raven from Lady Stark..."

Bran cut me off, he probably could not help it. He still did not know that it was not for him and that it was not matters that really concerned him at all.

"Is something wrong?"

"Everything is good; Robb is still winning his battles and your mother is well too." I took a slight pause. "Can we talk?"

Bran did not seem to believe that everything was as good as I said it to be but he nodded.

We got into the big hall and he sat down. A young boy at the age of 10 should not have to look as serious as he did at that moment. I did not want to burden him and I did not want to ask of him what I was going to, but there was no way that I could stay in Winterfell after that letter.

"Mibel, are you sure that everything is alright?"

"Bran, my Lord, I am going to have to ask something of you."

"You do not have to call me that."

I knew that he did mean it but that was what he was, still I nodded.

"Go on, Mibel."

"I want to ride South. I want to take horse and leave at nightfall."

Asking this younger boy, a boy that I had looked upon as my little brother for as long as I could remember, and knowing that I was going to break a promise and not being able to protect him felt awful.

"Ride South? Why?"

"I am sorry, Bran, but I cannot tell you one reason, because there are many."

"Is there something about my mother or brother that you are not telling me?"

"Yes, Bran, my Lord, but there is nothing that you have to worry about. They are fine, they are both fine, but I have to leave."

We talked about it for a while longer but in the end he let me go. Of course he was not going to hold me here, but he was curious. I did not tell him my reasons for leaving, not even as I sat up in the saddle that night.

"I will write, I promise you."

I had tried to say goodbye to Rickon but he had left and it made my heart break. I had tears in my eyes as I said goodbye to Bran and I saw that his eyes were shining because of tears too.

"I know you will."

I nodded and looked away.

"I will be home before you know it."

I gave him one more smile, and then kicked the horse gently in the side. Off I went, the first time actually leaving Winterfell since I came there. 10 years I had lived there and now I was leaving. A tear rolled down my cheek but I did not look back. I had to go to Robb; I had to ask him himself if what his mother had told me was true.

Had he promised to marry another woman? And was he really going to do it for a bridge?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

I was riding for days, getting news from strangers that I met on the road. On old man that I met at an inn in Stockcrest had been to King's Landing at the time of Lord Stark's arrest and told me about how they couldn't seem to find his youngest daughter. This made me both glad and worried; if she was not in King's Landing, where could she be, and with whom? Another man that I met a day later had news about the ongoing war. He knew much about both the Lannister side and Robb's army, even thou all the information seemed vague and a bit off.

Apparently Robb had crossed Lord Walder Frey's bridge and was heading towards one of the Lannisters' camps. It helped me to know where I had to go but I did not like where the conversation led into. I was already thinking too much about Robb's arranged marriage at that time and hearing the man talk about it did not make it better. It was true that Robb had been in great need of crossing that bridge but the fact that he had sold his hand, and Arya's, to get it felt like a big betrayal. I had known about all the things that he might be sacrificing going out to that war, but I had never had any thoughts of him actually, willingly, sacrificing me. Had that great speech before he left just been a lie? If it was I had no idea to see the difference between truth and lies.

I had never felt like that towards him before, and I did not like it. I was so angry and all I could think of was to hit and yell at him when I met him.

I did not stop to sleep in an inn every night so by the ninth evening I was starting to get close to the area where I had heard that the camp should be. As I rode I was thinking of how lucky Robb was to have people on his side, like that man that I had talked to, that did not give up his locations to every fool he came across. I had had to talk to him for a very long time, asking for the whereabouts of the camp, and still I was not sure if he had been telling the truth.

My horse was tired and so I stopped at a little river after sundown. Nothing exciting had happened on my journey until then. I had heard that it was not a safe place to travel in that forest at nighttime but I had taken the chance. As soon as my feet hit the ground, jumping out of the saddle, I heard footsteps amongst the trees. I knew what to expect and so I reached out for the dagger that I had kept close to me in the saddle.

"Hello there. Do you not know how dangerous it is for a lady to travel alone in these woods?"

I slowly turned around with my dagger hidden behind my back. There were three men coming out the forest. Their clothes were dirty, and their faces too. Their eyes were almost glowing in the dark and they had evil smiles on their lips.

"Yes, there are robbers and rapists lose around here. It is certainly not a safe place to a pretty girl like you."

I took a step back and felt the warmth of the horse against my back. The poor thing was getting nervous and stomped its hooves against the ground.

"You better come with us; we will keep you safe, won't we boys?"

One of the men was really close to me now and I was ready with the dagger, ready to defend myself, but I never had to use it.

The next second a small group of five men on horses came riding off the road and before I knew it the three men were laying dead on the ground; two of them had lost their heads and one of them with deep cut through his stomach. I was still ready with the dagger, holding it tightly in my hand. I watched the men on the horses, and they watched me too.

"Are you Mibel, from Winterfell?"

How they could know my name was a mystery for me at the moment and I did not answer them at once. Instead I kept on looking at them for a second.

"Miss?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Semel Oth, man of King Robb, the King of the North."

At first I could not understand how Robb could know that I was not in Winterfell, but then I understood; of course they had sent a raven from Winterfell to him.

"Then I am Mibel from Winterfell."

The men looked at each other and then at me again.

"King Robb has ordered us to escort you to the camp"

I hesitated for a second, then nodded. I got up into my saddle again and waited for them to lead the way. I did not think that these men were imposters but I still kept the dagger close enough to me to be able to get it out quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

I do not know what I had expected, but I remember being surprised over how big the camp was. It was hard to understand how they could be hiding all of those tents, men and horses. It was a real army in war. Even thou there were a lot of men there, it was clear that there had been losses. Still, the spirit seems high and I could hear laughter around the fires as I rode through the camp.

One of the men led me straight to the biggest tent and gave my horse to a man, to take care of the poor mare. It was clear that the big tent was meant for the leaders and when I stepped in there I saw men with gray hair and it was clear that they were all experienced warriors, they were the Lords of the North. They all rose and looked at me as I entered. I could see by the map that they had been planning something. I looked at Robb and he looked surprised, angry and relieved at the same time as he saw me.

"Leave us."

Everyone quickly followed his command and left the tent. We were all alone in the tent for a minute before he spoke, and when he did he sounded very business-like.

"I have had men looking for you for days, ever since I got the raven from Winterfell telling me that you were heading south."

I did not say anything, and I did not move. A had a lot to say to him but I could not put all of the emotions into words.

We stood there looking at each other and then he looked away with an irritated sigh.

"I was worried!"

I felt my heart take an extra beat and then I felt my stomach sink. So he did still care?

The sound of the tent fabric moving reached my ears and so I knew that someone had come into the tent. Robb saw the person, but I had my back to the opening, and so I turned around, and there she was.

"Mibel!"

Lady Stark came towards me and gave me a warming hug. I could feel Robb's eyes on my back the whole time and so I took a step back out of the hug and gave Lady Stark a short smile.

"I am so glad that you are here, safe."

"Lady Stark I am…" I started talking but Robb cut me off.

"Mother."

She turned and looked at him while keeping a protecting hand on my shoulder. She did not have to fear for my safety, never in Robb's presence, but I guessed that it was an impulse.

I had already figured out at this point that Robb did not know about her raven to me, or at least he did not know what the message had been. If he would have known I thought that he would rather had written to me himself, or at least that was what I hoped because I thought very highly of him.

"I will leave you two to talk."

With that, and a quick squeeze of my shoulder, she left the tent and so Robb and I were all alone again.

Robb looked at the place where she had disappeared for a moment, and then he turned to me. The table was still separating us and I did not know what to do or say.

"Why are you here Mibel? Why are you not in Winterfell?"

I sighed and looked him straight in his eyes.

"I received a raven, from Lady Stark. It brought me news; and so I had to come here, to talk to you."

"About…"

This time it was my turn to cut him off, and so I did.

"About your arrangement with Lord Fray."

Robb's facial expression changed at once, into grief, and his eyes turned sad.

"Mibel, I…"

"Your mother told me everything. I know why you did it and I know, or at least hope, that it must have been a hard decision to make."

"Of course it was a hard decision!"

He went around the table, towards me, and took my hands. One part of me wanted to back away from him but the other, stronger, side made me stay where I was.

"I had no other choice… Wait, wait, just let me finish."

I had opened my mouth to protest but I closed it again at his request.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

"We needed to cross that bridge; still the only thing that I could think about when my mother came back with Lord Fray's terms was you." Took a little pause and looked straight at me. "But I had to take his offer; I had to go over that bridge. All that I could hope for was that he would release me from my promise later, and if he did not I would just have to cross him. I did not give up on you, Mibel, and I am not going to, ever."

I sighed and looked away.

"What else could I have done, Mibel?" He asked.

I did understand where he was coming from and what he meant but agreeing to those terms meant more than he was thinking of at the moment, or so I though. Making a powerful enemy like Lord Fray was not a good idea, especially if you were going to call yourself the "King of the North". From what I had hear Lord Fray was an old, but very vengeful man, and also somewhat crazy. I did not believe that he would let Robb out of his promise. He did not seem like he would just forgive and forget.

"Mibel, I never gave up my plans for us, never for a second. I have thought of you every minute of every night and day, ever since I left Winterfell. My love for you has not changed, believe me when I say that."

"It is so hard, Robb. I have never doubted my feelings for you but… Oh, Robb, I do not know what to believe."

He looked me for a moment longer than pulled me into his arms.

"I love you Mibel; with all of my heart and soul I do love you." He whispered in my ear and I could not resist it any longer.

I leaned my head against his chest and I let him hold me. To have him close to me again was like a dream. The warmth that I got from him made me want to stay there, in his arms forever more. I wanted nothing more than to show my love for him and to make him understand why he could never leave me.

We stood there for minutes then he lifted my chin up and smiled at me.

"I have longed for you for so long."

I could feel tears building up in my eyes, tears of joy, but I held them in.

"And I have longed for you."

And so he kissed me. I had only tasted his lips once before, the night when he left, but I had longed for them. He put one of his hands in the back of my head and one on my waist, and I moved my hands to his chest and neck. The kiss grew in intensity and soon I could feel an urge to do more than just kissing him. No details mentioned but the next morning I woke up in that same tent, next to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

It was early morning when I woke up. Some sunlight streamed in through the sealing but other than that it was still dark in the tent. I took a deep breath and then carefully turned around. There he was, the love of my life. His face looked so serious as he slept and it made me smile. He was perfect with the dark curls all messy, and his pale skin looked so soft. I reached out one hand and removed one of the curls from his forehead. He must have felt my touch because just seconds later he slowly opened his eyes. I was still smiling and he smiled back at me with a sleepy look in his eyes.

"Good morning" I whispered with a gentle voice.

"Good morning" He whispered back.

He stretched his neck and then put his arms around me. I closed my eyes again and let myself feel perfectly calm. There must have been thousands of men outside that tent but I could not have cared less at that time. They were no in there, in the tent, and that was all that mattered. In Robb's arms where I was supposed to be and I did not care about the rest of the world as long as I got to be there.

But then the reason that I came there came to mind and an uncertainty started to grow in my chest. No one could know about this, since it should not have happened.

"We should… get dressed."

His face grew serious again and I felt my stomach ache.

"I know"

He let go of me and watched me get up.

"You are still unhappy"

It was not a question but a statement. I put my dress on and waited to answer. I stalled as long as I could but when I had put my shoes on and was all dressed I had to speak.

"How could I not be? This cannot be. We cannot be, as long as everyone still thinks that you are keeping your promise to Lord Frey. It is not right"

I could not meet his eyes and I turned my back to him.

"Then I will let it be known that I am not keeping my promise. I will let everyone know. You know I would do anything for you"

He had gotten up from the ground and stood behind me.

"I would die for you and I cannot stand you being angry with me"

"But you cannot, Robb! You do not want enemies now, you cannot have more than the once you already have, you know that it is true"

"Then what do you want me to do?! I cannot have it both ways!"

He was getting frustrated and angry and all I could do was to look him in the eye.

"You have to go to King's Landing and get your father; that is what you have to do. That is all that I know, Robb, and all that I can say"

The meaning of what I had just said sank into both of us and I was just as surprised as he was.

"Well then, I will inform the troops that we are moving forward, and you will go home"

I took a deep breath and held it for a while.

"That is how it has to be"

That whole day I walked around in a kind of dead way. It was as if I did not see or hear. Robb had given the order to break up camp and that the troops were moving on. I was to be sent home the next day with two guards as an escort. I had no opportunity to talk to Robb, and even if I would have had time I did not know what I would have said. We both felt betrayed and the only thing that would change that would be if I told him that I had changed my mind, that I wanted him to marry me right now and that he should send a message to Lord Frey to say that the agreement was over, and that was not going to happen. My whole body was aching, hurting, as my heart pumped out blood slowly throughout my body. It was like poison was pumped out instead of clean, red blood; it was like if my broken heart wanted to infect my whole soul, my mind, my whole being.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

I slept alone that night, in one of the few tents that were still standing. Not that I slept much, my brain was too busy sending thoughts through my head, and when I did it was a restless sleep. I woke up breathing fast and realized that I was drenched in sweat. I could not remember the dream that had caused this reaction and I felt utterly confused. After that I could not fall back to sleep, and neither did I want to. Instead I got up and left the tent.

Outside men were already up and about, packing up the last things. They were all leaving, matching further south, as I was going back to the North, and they all looked tense.

I did not meet Lady Stark, or anyone else that I knew. Faces seemed familiar but I could not remember when or where I had seen them before. I guess they could have been men living just a few miles away, a butcher's son that I could have met as a young girl, or a carpenter that had made a table or a chair for Lord Stark. They were men of the North and I was essentially one of them. But I was not going with them, and they were not going home with me.

I did not know what I wanted and what I thought of the situation. I did know that I did not want to stay here, that was for sure, but did I really want to go back to Winterfell? As I walked around, without any plans, I felt like I should make a decision; did I like this or not, and if I did not like it should I do something about it?

But I never had the chance to make up my mind because it was too hard and I was taking too long, and all of a sudden I was getting up into the saddle of my faithful horse. I could not help but to look around for Robb. I looked and saw him just where his tent had stood this morning. When our eyes met he looked away and so did I.

I did not know that I would not see him again for a very long time and that when we would that it would be in such an important way. I had no idea that the next time I would see him, I would be on the other side of the fight; I would not even be me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

We set off towards the North in a fast speed. It was hard for me to tell if the two men following me were happy to be heading away from the war, or sad about it. Many of Robb's warriors saw it as their duty and honor to serve him in the war, and they were more than willing to pay with their lives to rescue Lord Stark and his daughters. But there were those who were scared and could not wait to get home to their family, and it was very uncertain if that would happen as long as they stayed in the army. Northern men were not deserters, they just were not, but an opportunity like this, to go home for a little while, to leave the war behind them for at least some weeks, that could be precious to any of them. If they were quick about it they might even have time to visit their family. But I did not ask them about any of that. I knew my place still; I was not a lady, I was a servant of the Stark family and that did not put me in any higher position than them. One thing that I had learned was to not ask too many questions.

They did not speak, and neither did I, so we traveled during silence. All that you could hear was the sound of the horses' hooves against the ground and the sound of squirrels and birds in the trees lining our path. We traveled like that for hours and the sun was going down when we finally stopped for a short break. We had been riding all day and we had not stopped until now and even though I was a used rider my legs and bum were sore. After we dismounted our horses I stayed by the animals and ate a piece of bread while my two guards went into the woods. I could only guess what they did but since we had been riding for hours non-stop I guessed that they needed to take a leak. Since they were guards it might have been a good idea for one of them to stay with me but I was too deep into my own mind to think of that at the moment, and I do not know what they were thinking.

I heard the sound of a twig breaking and thought that it was my fellow companions coming back but as I turned around I realized that I was wrong. I could not scream before they caught me and I could not struggle much. They were big men with large muscles and I could not fight them back. As they put a bag over my head I could hear a roar, a scream, and then another one; my two guards were dead.

All was black, black as night, for I do not know how long. My hands were tied and then I was put on a horse, it felt like my own. I had no reins to hold on to and no way of steering my horse. I just sat there, trying to get a grip on what was going on but I could not. Later on I was told that I was escorted like that for a week. They would only take the bag off my head so that I could do my business in the woods. The first time I was afraid that the men were going to take advantage of me but after a couple of times I realized that it was not going to happen. They gave me food, just enough for me not to starve, and I could have water any time I asked. Other than my request I did not speak. It was a silent journey, just like the one that I had had with Robb's soldiers, but everything was different.

After all those days in silence I suddenly started hearing voices. At first I thought that it was all in my head, but then I realized that we had slowed down, that I was actually hearing voices right next to me. My horse came to a halt and I was lifted down. I was guessing that we had reached our destination and I guessed right because I was put in a tent, bound to a pole with my hands behind my back, and then they removed the bag.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

I was left there without a word and started looking around. I could not tell where I was. The tent was scummy and dark and I could only hear a little of what was outside. There were men's voices and the sound of steal ringing in the air. It smelled of dirt and wounds. My stomach started twisting itself as I started to realize where I had been taken.

The tent was opened and the same two men that had put me in there minutes ago untied me and pulled me up on my feet. When I was outside I saw that it was night time outside too and that it hadn't just been the inside of the tent. I was led through the camp, because it was obviously a camp, and on the way I saw men, soldiers, dressed in red and gold (Lannister colors). My heart was pounding hard in my chest and I was led into a big tent.

There was a table, with fine food and cups of whine. The sight made me even hungrier than before and for a second I did not see the men that were sitting there.

"And who did you say this was?"

A man with a long face, with defined Lannister traits and blond hair and beard looked over at me with an uninterested look on his face. Even though I had only heard of him before I could see the resemblance between the mad and his son, Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer. The man before me was Lord Tywin Lannister, the head of House Lannister.

"Lady Mibel?"

At the sound of my name I turned my head to the other man in the room, sitting at the opposite side of the table. He was short of stature and he was far from hard to recognize. Tyrion Lannister…

"Oh, so you have met her? One of the whores from Winterfell?"

I flinched at the word 'whore' and took a step backwards, only to feel the chest of a man standing behind me. I quickly took a look behind me and then took a step forward again.

"She is one of Lord Starks's maids."

I did not speak; I was still too surprised to have anything to ask. The questions were building up in my head, which seemed too small to hold it all at the moment, and I felt dizzy. I stared at Lord Tywin without thinking of it and at first I did not hear what he said, I did not even register that his lips were moving, but then someone poked me from behind.

"Well, Miss Mibel, would you mind answering my question or will I have to repeat myself?"

I looked at him, actually looked at him and seeing him, and I looked over at Tyrion with what I presumed was a confused look on my face.

"Miss Mibel, what where you doing so far south?"

When I realized what he was asking I quickly shut my mouth closed. I had no intentions of answering that question. I knew that he already knew some of the story and I was not going to provide him with any more. I looked down at my feet and refused to look up.

"Well, you must be terribly hungry after your journey, even though I hope my men treated you well. Maybe you will decide to talk after you have eaten and gotten some rest."

The actual kindness in his voice scared me more than anything else would have done. He had plans for me, even if he right now played on being a nice host. I was escorted back to "my" tent. My hands were not bound and I found that I even had some new furniture, a bed, a table and a chair. I was left alone there and my eyes soon fell on the dress lying on the bed. I looked away and sat down on the chair with my hands in my lap. I was treated like a guest but I knew that I was not; I was a prisoner and sooner than later they would start treating me like one.

For the moment though, I as treated good. Soon after I had come back to my tent I was brought food, and it was good food like the stuff from Lord Tywin's own table. I was no lady, and he knew it, but he still thought that he might be able to get me over to his side. I was determined not to let that happen.


End file.
